Herman Melville's famous novel Moby Dick immortalised the idea of a battling white sperm whale roaming the ocean - but could such a beast exist? Acclaimed writer and explorer Tim Severin travels to the Pacific to find out. Comparing Melville's description of islands like Nuku Hiva with the realities of their geography and history, Severin learns how Melville was a master at colouring his own experiences with tall tales - as well as borrowing genuine eyewitness accounts from other visitors to the Pacific. To sift truth from fiction, Severin decides to enquire among the last surviving whale-hunters of the great ocean if they have ever met the white whale.Superb travel writing combined with personal and historical anecdote make this an intriguing and enlightening exploration of one of the ocean's enduring myths.
